Penknife



Jime 26,1951 P, H, U SINGE 2,558,399

PENKNIF'E Filed Oct. 51 1949 ||||||||llllIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll ,7 1 1 l6 I la 3 Av! V I l; a 17% I K s i h u I.

arr. 3w 4 39g PHIL/PH (/zvsnvasn //7 ven for 5 ca. 7] a Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PENKNIFE Philip H. Unsinger, Fremont, Ohio Application October 31, 1949, Serial No. 124,669

This invention relates to sheathed tools and the control thereof.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a cutlery device, and more specifically a manicure type of knife or blade as a readily detachable or substitutive implement, wherein there is a handle or case and a connectable lid operable to lock the tool or blade element fully housed in the case or fully projected therefrom, as well as in a range of intermediate degrees of projection from the case or handle.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention in a penknife instrument in closed, or blade retracted position;

Fig. 2 is a section of the case of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale from the line IIII, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of the case, mostly on the line III--III, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. i is a side elevation, on a smaller scale than in Fig. 1, and with the blade projected or in full use position;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lid, showing its hinge connection to the blade guide;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged View, largely in section, from the line VI-VI, Fig. 5, showing the yield mounting at the hinge, adapted to coact as triotional holding means for the lid closed;

Fig. 7 is a section thru the blade guide on the line VII-VII, Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the blade, with dotted line showing of partially projected position for the blade as to the case;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view from the line IXIX, Fig. 8, showing a locking interengagement feature between the case and lid for the blade remote from its cutting point;

Fig. 10 is a View, mostly in section, from the line XX, Fig. 8, showing the locking of the after end of the blade with the case and lid; and

Fig. 11 is a side elevation on a reduced scale from that of Fig. 10, but showing the side of the case opposite the lid, and with the blade at a major retracted position therefor,

The case An oblong handle member is shown with a bottom l, havingrelatively narrow parallel sides 2, I

1 Claims. (elite-162) region I I.

. The way 6 has medially along its bottom a shallow groove l2 (Fig. 2), and parallel thereto along one side of the bottom of the chamber 1, a narrow ledge l3. Extending toward the end 4 from the chamber 1 is a recessl l.

Thelid and guide Approximating snug register in the opening 8 is a lid l5 having a pair of ears l6 at one end and along a sidefrom a remote end ll. a shallow groove or finger nail seat I8, which seat 18 is located at region I9 of the case when lockeffecting teeth or match scratcher or finger nail file region I9 side of the lid I5is exposed. When plain side 20 of the lid I5 is exposed at closed position for the chamber 1, the seat I8 is at finger nail guide At this in-use position for the tool carried by the case, there may be exposed an advertisement or name identification 2| as a notation on the lid side 20. l l

Thru the pair of parallel ears l6 of the lid I5 is a hinge pin 22, snugly fitting in these ears. A clearance 23, for the pin 22through the eye member 24 provides a looseness in. this hinge joint. There is a rivet connection 25 to anchor the member 24' on la sheet metal guide shoe at a medial or top shallow rib 26 from which rib there extends later-ally apair of return bends or guides 29. Also from said rib 25 there extends a tongue having adjacent the eye 24 an upward or outward hump 21 with a spring free end 28. In the body of the lid l5 between and extending away from the ears I6 is a recess 3ll in which is a helical compression spring 3| thrusting a plunger 32 to take up the clearance 23 in frictionally holding the lid end I! snugly against an end of the opening 8 at all closed positions for the lid IS.

The blade The tool or implement proper herein is shown as a steel blade having a cutting edge 33 extending along one side to a point 34 with an opposite edge back 35. The blade has a notch 35 spacing the cutting edge 33 from a butt portion 31.

Medially of this butt portion 3! and extending away from the point 34, andhaving rivet connection 38 thereto is a narrow strip 39 having an offset nub, lug or stop projection 40. The strip 39 extends over the blade end 4| to a J-extension comprising a bottom return bend 42 and a riser tongue 43' therefrom (Figs. 8, 9). If a slight notch is provided in the end 4|, to seat the J-extension strip 39, one rivet 38 would be sufiicient to hold said strip 39 in place.

The assembly The lid l5, and itshinge-connected mounting therefor, shown in the form of a slide guide or shoe with guides 29 (Figs. 5, 6, '7), may have the blade point 34 inserted under the shallow channel or way 26, with the blade back 35 to ride in a guide way 29 and the strip 39 to be up, or On the side toward the eye 24%. At partial thrusting, the blade may be introduced thru the opening 8 to have its point as projecting beyond the guides 29 to protrude from the end of the case. The blade may be thrust the full way then thru the guides 29 to have the offset 49 lodge against the end of the way or rib 26 as the strip 39 rides therepast."

By the pinch action, exerted by the hump 2? of spring 28 on the strip 39, the side of the butt end of the blade remote from said strip is caused to frictionally engage said shoe, which in turn causes said shoe to frictionally engage the way 6 adjacent the end 5 of the case.

In this adjustment or placing of the blade, the guides 29 at the blade portion 31 clear the cutting edge 33 from riding against a side of the way 6. The ledge i 3 also provides a limit for the blade back 35. However, th major stabilizing of the blade against any wobbling to prevent the cutting edge 33 from contacting a side of the way 6, is effected by the coaction of the bend 42 with the groove [2.

The structural make-up herein has been found very attractive when the case and lid have been made of plastic, such as Tenite, with its low specific gravity, responsive to luster finish, and resistance to wear, or surface scratching. It is an item of class for a pocket piece, whether for man, woman or child. Utility response gives it place at the ladys beauty table, as for manicure knife, and in the ofiice in erasure use. In each of these latter suggestions there may be short exposure of the blade point, thereby enabling the user to bring the tool into action more close to the grip.

The lid I5, preferably, is just short of tightfitting register lengthwise of the opening 8 in the case. With the linear series of lock or holding seats 19 exposed, the hinge 22, 24, is in proximity to the case closed end i. In this seated position for the lid 15, the spring 3| is acting on the plunger 32, with the give clearance 23 permitting the end thrust for the lid i5 to hold the lid end I! snugly and frictionally locked in the case adjacent the case end 5. Upon finger nail engagement of the groove 18 at the notch in, the lid [5 end ll may be pulled away from the case in swinging the lid on its hinge 22, 24, toexpose the blade and the major portion of the slide guide in the chamber 7. With the lid [5 outward from the case, the slide guide may be thrust into frictional looking or holding position adjacent the port 6, in which operation the blade is now fully projecting from the case, and the lid 15 may be swung to close the opening 8 with the spring 3! establishing a frictional holding of the lid closed adjacent the case end i. In this position of the lid 15, for knife use, there is the publicity display 21, kept from wear off exposure at non-use for the knife. By finger nail, when the lid 55 is lifted away from the end 4, the offset, seat or lug 23 may be engaged to retract the blade a selected distance back into the case. Reclosing of the lid i5 now causes the offset 43 to engage a seat 59 to lock the blade against shifting either in or out of the case, while the offset 42 and the slide guide establish lateral firmness for knife use.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cutlery device comprising a handle with a chamber therein communicating with an end port said opening to release said shoe for sliding along said guide-way, and a cutlery element slidably mounted in said shoe and handle and shiftable relative thereto for varying the projection of said element from said port, said lid including seat means having locking coaction with said element.

2. A penknife comprising a handle with a chamber therein connecting with end port and with an opening along 9, side of the handle, a shoe insertable into said chamber to slide towards and from said port, a lid havin dimensions sufficient to flushly fill said handle opening, a hinge connection between said lid and said shoe, whereby said lid may be lifted and said shoe slid from one end of said chamber to the other and said lid may be fit fiushly into said opening when said shoe is in either end position, and a blade for the knife assembled with the shoe and slidably mounted therein to be retracted into said handle when said shoe is at the end remote from said port and to be thrust into projectin position from the handle through the port and said shoe when said shoe is at the other end in proximity to said port.

3. The penknife of claim 2 wherein there is means for locking said blade relative to the handle, in any projecting position when said lid is closed.

4. The penknife of claim 3 wherein said locking means comprises interengageable seat means between said lid and a projection on the butt end of said blade.

5. The penknife of claim 4 wherein said lid is provided with a corrugated surface which frictionally engages said projection on said blade when said lid is in closed position.

6. The cutlery device of claim 1 wherein there is provided frictional spring engagement means carried on said shoe between said cutlery element and said handle in said chamber.

'7. At cutlery device comprising an open side handle, said open side exposing a chamber, said handle having an end port opening into said chamber, a shoe slidable in said chamber, a lid hingedly connected to said shoe, said lid swingable into said open side of said handle for closing said side when said shoe is adjacent an end of said chamber, a cutlery element slidably mounted within said shoe and projectable through said port, and interengageable seat means between said cutlery element and said lid when said lid is closed to lock said element with said handle and said shoe in any projecting or retracted position relative to said handle.

PHILIP H. UNSINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 242,985 Rischow June 14, 1881 1,546,709 Bott July 21, 1925 2,141,061 Dodson Dec. 20, 1938 

